When using a telescope, for example a Dobsonian telescope, a chair with an adjustable height can be utilized to make a night of observing more comfortable and enjoyable. When using a Dobsonian telescope, many telescope observers who do not employ an adjustable chair are required to use a ladder or some other upright structure that allows for use of the telescope at increased heights. Existing telescope observation chairs are made of a wide variety of materials, ranging from wood to metal to synthetic material (e.g., plastic), and may include a seat that is padded or upholstered in various colors and fabrics.
Some existing telescope observation chair assemblies include one or more lengths of wood or plastic, which may be referred to as rails or stringers, that are pivotable about a pivot point (in a similar fashion as a stepladder) and include a plurality of crossbars or rungs along a single rail or between multiple rails. Existing chairs also may include a footrest that can be moved from rung to rung in a similar fashion as the seat. These existing telescope observation chairs have some benefits, such as being foldable and moveable from one location to another by folding the rails together.
Existing telescope observation chair assemblies are also generally lightweight, as such assemblies typically include two or more rails, a plurality of rungs, which may comprise rods disposed between multiple rails or may comprise cutouts from within a single rail, a seat, and a footrest. However, existing telescope observation chairs also have a number of drawbacks. For example, because of the nature of the stepladder-like configuration of such assemblies, the footprint taken up during use of currently available chairs is quite large. Still further, such chairs are limited in available adjustable height by the footprint required on the ground when the observation chair is in an “in-use” configuration, and by the fact that such assemblies can be top heavy.
The designs of existing telescope observation chair assemblies have likely been limited to a stepladder-like configuration because of the ease with which such assemblies can be stored and transported. However, such designs lend themselves to limited height adjustability because as increased heights are desired, a larger footprint for the bases of the rails is required. Another drawback is that, as the seat of such assemblies is adjusted higher, the height of the center of gravity increases, which limits the ultimate achievable height of the seat. These limitations have limited the variety and use of existing adjustable seats.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a telescope observation chair assembly including an adjustable seat and a footrest that takes up a small footprint while allowing for increased adjustability of both the seat and the footrest while maintaining a center of gravity that prevents the device from tipping or falling over.